A MAN with a pending arrest warrant for an illegal drugs case was killed after engaging in a shootout with the police at 1:15 a.m. on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in Barangay Fortaleza, Tuburan town, Cebu.
The suspect was identified as Alfredo Batalona Bantay Jr., also known as Wilfredo Bantay, 31, a resident of Purok Butterfly, Barangay Babag, Lapu-Lapu City.
The Tuburan police station received information that Bantay was spotted waiting for a bus along the roadside.
The police immediately responded, bringing the arrest warrant issued by Judge Ruben Altubar, Presiding Judge of RTC Branch 29 in Toledo City, dated September 26, 2024, for a violation of Section 5, Article II, Republic Act 9165 (illegal drugs), with no bail allowed by the court.
Upon arrival, the police informed the suspect about the warrant and attempted to arrest him.
However, the suspect suddenly drew a weapon from his waist and aimed it at the police officers from the Tuburan police station’s tracker team, prompting them to fire.
The weapon did not discharge, and the suspect fled. As a result, one of the police officers shot him to neutralize the threat.
After Bantay fell and was hit, he was quickly taken to the Tuburan District Hospital by the Tuburan Emergency Responder team. However, he was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Aside from his arrest warrant, Bantay was also a person of interest in several cases of stolen game fowl in Tuburan town.
On January 10, 2025, at around 11 p.m., a certain Ronan Mangubat Nuena, 36, a farm owner from Barangay Mangga in Tuburan, reported to the police that three of his valuable game fowls had been stolen, and the suspect was identified as one of the individuals responsible.
The police recovered a .38 caliber pistol without a serial number and two bullets.
Among the recovered items were four game fowls, all red in color, two of which were placed in separate bags. Three of these fowls were positively identified by Nuena as his stolen chickens from January 10. (AYB)
